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Back in the fall of 1988, if [lastfm link_type=”artist_info”]Bon Jovi[/lastfm] wasn’t the biggest rock and roll band in the world, they were right there at the top. The Jersey-born bandmates had just finished a long tour promoting their gigantically popular Slippery When Wet (it spent eight weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 and was 1987’s best-selling album), and they were also set to release their also-soon-to-be-megaplatinum New Jersey.

Jon Bon Jovi stopped by New York City station WNEW in 1988 for an informal chat–taking calls (and faxes) from fans, answering questions about his recent stadium tour, and discussing the band’s new album, New Jersey.

While it seemed like it had been a long time between records, the band actually jumped right into recording after they came off the Slippery When Wet tour.

It turns out that New Jersey wasn’t the band’s first choice for the album’s title.

Tommy and Gina, the two fictional characters from Bon Jovi’s signature song “Livin’ on a Prayer,” are brought back in a follow-up song on New Jersey, because, as Jon says, he wanted the story to have an ending–“and I wanted it to be a happy ending.”